Caryn Simonson

Caryn Simonson is an artist, writer and senior lecturer in Textiles – critical theory- at Chelsea College of Art and Design. She completed an MA Textiles in 1995 at Goldsmith’s, University of London. Prior to studying for the MA, she worked as a designer/maker within theatre and TV (BBC North). After postgraduate study, Caryn and net artist Rachel Baker developed and organised “She hasn’t switched it on yet…” - a series of cybersalons and workshops for women, a new technology project supported by the Arts Council and Backspace. In 1998, she was invited as Guest professor in Textiles at Universitaet Gesamthochschule, Kassel, Germany for 5 months and lived and worked in Berlin as a designer and maker of leather wear and exhibiting artist (1998-2000). Teaching posts have included: course leader for BA (Hons) Contemporary Textile Practices at Norwich School of Art and Design; senior lecturer in Cultural Studies and associate lecturer on MA Textile Futures course at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design; and lecturer in Textiles and Critical Theory at Goldsmith’s College. She has exhibited work across photography, video, sculpture and installation within the context of contemporary textiles. Recent photography work was exhibited at Textile Transporter, an exhibition she co-curated with Renata Brink at arttransponder gallery, Berlin 2007 funded by the gallery. In October 2007 she exhibited work as guest artist at Ever and Again- a TED research project - at the Triangle gallery, Chelsea College of Art and Design. www.arttransponder.net

Caryn Simonson is curious about people, their clothes, bodies, passions, harbouring secret lives or holding allegiance to social groups. Her work has centred around the performance of gender, sexuality, the subversion of identity, clothing and the body. She is interested in ‘transformation’ or re-presentation of objects and images which render the functional dysfunctional. In recent photographic work, semi-documentary portraits, customised motorbikes and owners are staged in ways to open up questions around individuality or group allegiance, fact and fiction. Dressed up in Sanderson chintz fabric, an old Ural army bike, ’the Cossack’ (model name) becomes a home from home. Classic or custom motorbikes get ’recycled’ – often passed on to new owners or modified, customised and upgraded. They represent not only a nostalgia for the past but a model for the re-use of objects. This series of photographs explores the role of fabric and identity. Earlier research has focussed on aspects of the body and new technologies specifically in relation to women, identity and cyberspace. Caryn Simonson is currently working on editing a special issue ‘Skin and Cloth’ of Textile: the Journal of Cloth and Culture which seeks to explore relationships between skin and cloth, and includes work on technological advances in textiles.